The will end its evening and weekend hours effective Aug. 31 after a study found that longer operations were an unnecessary expense.
The township’s Human Resources Committee performed a study that determined patron traffic during the evenings did not warrant the cost of extended hours at the pantry, located at 3801 W. Lake Ave. in Glenview.
“It was only after the six-week study that the board determined this was an unnecessary expense,” said Township Trustee Carol Blustein.
“The number of clients using the pantry was in the single digits over this period,” she said. The number of volunteers during the same period was also low.
Meanwhile, staff members came in late on Thursday morning rather than being paid for extra hours.
“This left the office short staffed once a week—another unnecessary impact in light of the usage,” she said.
The pantry will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday when the new hours take effect.
As residents of Glenview, Northfield and Northbrook , the food pantry has seen an , according to Blustein. Now, it serves an average 1,685 people each month.
According to the organization’s annual report, $166,000 was distributed in grocery cards, 370 sets of school supplies were given to students and an average of 497 local families were provided with food and grocery cards each month last year.
The operating expenses were $108,442 for the previous fiscal year.
To volunteer or make a donation to the pantry, people can call 847-724-8300 or visit www.twp.northfield.il.us/Pantry.htm.
